Pin-up fluorescent lighting fixture



July 12, 1955 J. l.. ARCHER 2,713,115

PIN-UP FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Dec. 8. 1953 Fral /Nl/ENTOR JOHN L ARCHER TTOENEY United States Patent O PIN-UP FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE John L. Archer, Omaha, N ehr.

Application December 8, 1953, Serial N o. 396,935

1 Claim. (Cl. 24U-51.12)

This invention relates to lighting xtures generally, but more particularly to a lighting fixture embodying a circular fluorescent lighting tube, and wherein the entire fixture is adapted to be pinned up and supported from any suitable supporting surface, as for instance, a wall.

The invention has among its objects the production of such a device that is exceedingly simple to make and install, which may be produced at low cost, is readily changeable from one location to any other, whose parts are detachably interconnected so as to provide easy access to any such parts that need be inspected or replaced, and which is otherwise safe, satisfactory and efficient for use wherever deemed applicable.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to so construct a device of the kind aforesaid, that it readily adapts itself to being used as an advertising medium and wherein the advertisement is clearly and attractively displayed in such a manner as not to detract from its effectiveness by having the fixture itself too visible while viewing the advertising slogan or design.

An added object of the invention is to so construct said fixture that any objectionable wiring and electrical elements that are not needed to be changed frequently are housed within a chamber or enclosure, not only for the sake of neatness but also in order to keep them out of the dust and dirt of the room in which the device might be installed.

A further object of my invention is so constructing said device that the same will have a rear cover plate to form the back element of said chamber and provide the means for detachably suspending the entire fixture from the supporting wall.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a front shield for said device, said shield receiving said advertisement thereon and being light-permeable so that the light from the bulb may shine forwardly therethrough to render the advertisement most readily visible and commercialiy profitable, said shield also acting to hide the other parts of the fixture, when viewed from in front of the same.

Other objects of my invention are to so construct a device of the kind aforesaid, with all of the advantages iiowing therefrom that will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, and as will be more clearly pointed out in the disclosures herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, and the uses mentioned, as will be more clearly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters represent like or corresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure l is a front elevation of my improved fixture with a portion of the front shield broken away in order to show the parts situated therebehind;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the device detachably suspended from a side wall;

Figure 3 is a plan View of the device, taken from the front of the same, but with the shield removed; and

Frice Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail, showing the manner of interconnecting the spider, rear cover plate and tubeholding clips.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a lighting fixture especially adapted to use a fluorescent lighting tube therewith, and in which the entire xture may be readily and detachably pinned up on any supporting wall 1.

This fixture has a spider member with a central hollow dome, shell or cup 2 and there are a plurality of arms 3 projecting radially outwardly from said cup and spaced angularly or circumferentially about the rim of the cup.

This cup is open at its rear side, and the rear face of said rear side and the rearmost face of said arms lie substantially in a plane. Inside said cup may be positioned the various electrical items necessary for proper operation of the device as a uorescent lighting mechanism, as for example, the ballast, wiring connections, and the base for the starter element 4 insertible thereinto from without the cup as indicated in the drawing.

The cup may have any desired number of apertures 5 therethrough for proper ventilation to prevent undue heating within the cup, and with an opening through which the conductor cord 7 may extend and be connected electrically to the various cooperating elements arranged within said cup, there being a connector plug 8 at the far end of said conductor cord so that said plug may be inserted into a handy electrical outlet.

Through another opening in the cup, the cord 9 extends from within the cup for connection detachably to a conventional circular fluorescent light tube or envelope 16 detachably supported on said arms by spring clips 11 which are detachably and rotatably connected to said arms,

A cover plate 12, preferably planar in form, is detachably connected to said arms by fastening elements such as the bolts 13 that extend through said plate, arms and clip ends to hold all of them interlocked in their desired assembled relation for proper operation, said plate being uperirnposed against the planar rearmost surface of the arms and rim of the cup, somewhat as shown.

Said plate preferably projects radially outwardly beyond the adjacent cup surface and also beyond the outermost ends of the arms, and acts to form an enclosed casing or housing with said cup to effectively seal out dust, dirt or other foreign matter that might find its way into said chamber thus formed, and which might lower the operating efhciency of the device. Also, a somewhat key-hole shaped opening 14 may be made through said plate, between its rim and the peripheral rim of the cup, so that the entire fixture may be easily and detachably suspended by a pin 15 placed on the supporting wall 1.

Where it is desired to use such a fixture as an advertising medium, or where for other reasons it is desirable to provide a shield element on the frontal side of the device, such a shield 16 may be detachably fastened to the cup by proper bolt or nipple 17 carried by said cup to extend forwardly thereof to cooperate with a nut or cap 18 to clamp said shield in place. This shield may be either of planar shape or otherwise, arranged substantially opposed to said plate, somewhat as indicated, and is preferably transparent or translucent so that the light from the tube 10 may shine therethrough.

Some advertising emblem or slogan 19 may be placed on said shield, and which will be clearly readable when the light is in operation, and if desired, said shield may be sufficiently larger than the remainder of the fixture, so as to project radially outwardly therebeyond and serve as a front cover to conceal the fixture itself when the shield isobserved yfrom in front thereof, such a feature being kespecially important-when some advertising matter'isV arranged on said shield. Obviously shields bearing diierent advertising material may be used s'uc-V Y;cessively.`V Y

YfarHaiving-thus described my invention, it is obvious that Y V 'unto appended.-l M t, t Y

f-rIfclaim: t

electric'ixture comprising a hollow cup open across "its vral' sideand adapted to house electrical controls, the cup lcarrying circumferentially spaced outwardly project- 'ringarms having clips on their ends and detachably supporting annular fluorescent light *tubel exteriorly of the cup, a at cover plate detachably secured kto'theropen end of the cup to form a closed chamber therewith, the cover plate having means -for detachably securing the fixture to a wall, and a planar light-permeable shield t adapted to carry advertising material mounted on theA closed side of the cup, the shield extending outwardly beyond the cover plate and tube to mask the same and being provided with Va device whereby the same may be readily removed fromthe cup.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS.

2,375,354 Ellner May 8, 1945 2,525,022 Dupuy OctplO, 1950 2,579,026 Walter Dec. 18,A 1951 2,581,185 Gordon Ian. 1, 1952 2,626,346 StollerV Jan. 20, 1953 2,651,864 Howenstine Sept. 15,4 1953 

